1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an assembly of a bed or like supporting means and an apparatus for movement support for a person when moving into or out of a bed. Such an assembly is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,090.
2. Description of Background Art
For elderly and disabled persons, for instance, it becomes more and more difficult to move into and out of a bed or a like support without using the assistance of another person, for instance a nurse or a member of the family. This has as a drawback that, in the first place, such a helper should always be present when a person is to be moved into or out of bed, which is not always the case and, moreover, is costly if this requires (semi-) professional aid. In addition, the family members are often not physically capable of offering the desired assistance and for the aid-giver, such assistance presents the danger of causing injuries, for instance because of a wrong lifting technique. In the second place, not being able to get out of a bed independently, i.e. without the aid of other people, means a heavy psychological burden to people, because this reduces their sense of self-esteem and will moreover create the feeling of being a burden to others. As a result, people will be moved into or out of bed less often than is desired or desirable, with all its consequences. In the third place, there is the danger that quality of the assistance offered is unsatisfactory, for instance because of incompetence or insufficient power on the part of the aid-giver. This causes the danger of the person in need of help falling or getting injured otherwise.
The known assembly comprises a supporting means and an apparatus for movement support for a person, which apparatus comprises a support bar, mounted by an upstanding support tube. The support bar can be placed in a number of discrete positions, which positions differ in the enclosed angle. A person, sitting or lying down, can grab the support bar and pull himself up into a sitting or standing position. In order to reposition the support bar the user or another person will have to lift the support bar, such that retaining pins extending through the support bar are pulled out of securing slots, after which the support bar can be swivelled to a next position. Then the support bar can be pushed down again, the retaining pin entering a different set of securing slots.
This known assembly has the disadvantage that the user should have sufficient strength to pull himself up into said sitting or standing position, since the full pulling force will have to be exerted by said person. Furthermore, the support bar will give no support to the user during repositioning of the support bar. Therefore, the person will have to stabilize himself before being able to reposition said support bar. This will be hazardous.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,479 a further assembly of a bed or like supporting means and an apparatus for movement support is known, in which during displacement a user is completely carried by the aid. To this end, a large and relatively high support frame is provided from which a rotatable arm is suspended. Provided at the free end of this arm is a support loop in which the user can position himself, after which he can be lifted from the bed entirely and placed in a chair through swivel movement of the arm. Said swivel movement and said lifting is accomplished by means of motor driven elements.
In this apparatus, no effort whatsoever is required from the user during swivelling, while, moreover, the user will not reach a standing position. After all, the supporting apparatus can support him an sitting position only.
This known assembly has the disadvantage that the apparatus is very voluminous and therefore impractical for use in narrow spaces and rather costly. Furthermore, since the aided person does not have to provide for any pulling force or other physical exercise, this known assembly does not provide for exercise for the aided person, nor is this assembly therapeutically valuable. The large apparatus and the complete dependence of the apparatus for the user can be psychologically straining.
The object of the invention is to provide an assembly of a bed or like supporting means and an apparatus for movement support for a person when moving into or out of bed, whereby the above-mentioned drawbacks are avoided. In accordance with the invention, such an assembly is characterized by the features recited in the claims.
With such an assembly, everyone can move into and out of a bed or the like independently, unaided by others and without the risk of injuries. Hence, an assembly according to the invention has substantial physical and psychological advantages to a user.
By using an am that is pivotable relative to a base part, the possibility of a solid grip is provided throughout the movement of the user into or out of a bed, while the arm will always remain in a suitable position relative to the user. The power drive continuously provides the proper power for supporting the movement of the user into the desired position.
During use, the user, when he or she is lying on a bed, pivots the swivelling arm, which may or may not be energized by a motor or otherwise, into the first position so that the first part extends at some distance approximately above the pelvis, transversely across the bed. Then, the swivelling arm is gripped by the hands and the user pulls the upper part of his body slightly towards the swivelling arm. Meanwhile, the motor of the apparatus has started and the swivelling arm swivels in the direction of the second position. Thus, the user can pull himself up further and meanwhile shift in the direction of the edge of the bed, possibly drawn by the swivelling arm. After having moved his legs over the edge of the bed, the user can then pull himself upright by the swivelling arm, which by that time has approximately been brought into the second position. For moving into bed, the user can use the apparatus as well, by following the above steps in reverse order. Moreover, the apparatus can be used for changing a lying position into a sitting position and the other way round. In this manner, the user is supported in his movements by the apparatus.
Also it a user is not able to pull himself up from a lying position into a sitting position, he can use an apparatus according to the invention. After he has gripped a part of the swivelling arm extending above him, the motor can be started, after which the user is drawn into a sitting position by the swivelling arm. From that position, he can then reach the standing position in the above-described manner.
In an advantageous embodiment, an assembly according to the invention is characterized in that the swivelling arm comprises operating means, which, during use of the apparatus, can be operated by the user supported in his or her movement, for controlling the motor for driving the swivelling arm.
The operating means on the Swivelling arm offer the user the possibility of controlling the movements of the swivelling arm during the entire period that he or she moves by means of the apparatus. As a result, the user""s safety during use is increased considerably.
Further, it is advantageous if an assembly according to the invention is further characterized in that the swivelling arm comprises at least one bend in the plane of the support surface and the axis of the first part of the swivelling arm between the axis of rotation and the first part so that in the second position, the axis of rotation is located closer to the bed than the first part of the swivelling arm, wherein the first part of the swivelling arm extends approximately along the nearby bed edge at such a distance that a user can stand upright between the bed edge and the first part with his or her hands on the first part.
When such an assembly is used, the user is offered the possibility of holding on to the swivelling arm continuously while still being able to stand upright beside the bed. The bend in the swivelling arm-offers the advantage that the axis of rotation can he located close to the bed, so that space is saved, the forces exerted on the apparatus and the bed are reduced and the accessibility of the bed is not adversely affected, while the first part-of the swivelling arm can, in the second position, still be sufficiently spaced from the bed.
In a preferred embodiment, an assembly according to the invention is characterized in that control means are provided for the motor, whereby the swivelling arm, during use, is driven intermittently so that a period of relatively high speed of rotation is each time alternated by a period of relatively low or no speed of rotation.
During use of the apparatus, the user will have to move across the bed""s surface in the direction of the edge. Generally, this will not be a flowing movement. That means that, if the swivelling arm swivels at a constant speed, the user does not have the same pattern of movement as the swivelling arm. As a consequence, the swivelling arm will, with intervals, move away from the user too quickly or, by contrast, not quickly enough. The same problem presents itself if the speed of the swivelling arm is constantly too high or too low. By causing the swivelling arm to move intermittently, it is provided in a simple manner that the patterns of movement of the swivelling arm and the user are adjusted to each other. The pattern of movement can for instance be priorly inputted and be independent of the operating environment, but the apparatus can for instance also comprise sensors whereby, for instance through measurement of force or acceleration, the pattern of movement relative to the user is registered, on the basis of which the motor is then controlled.
In an alternative embodiment, an assembly according to the invention is characterized in that the driving speed of the swivelling arm is controllable by the user.
In this embodiment, the speed of movement of the swivelling arm can readily be controlled by the user, depending on, for instance, his own pattern of movement. Thus, an optimum adjustment between these patterns of movement can be obtained.
It will further be clear that the apparatus can also comprise control and operating means that can be operated by persons other than the user needing help. Moreover, it is preferred that safety means be included which, in the event of calamities such as a swivelling arm rotating too quickly or too far, switch off the apparatus or initiate safety measures otherwise.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, an assembly according to the invention is characterized in that the positioning means are designed for attaching the apparatus to the bed.
Mounting the apparatus onto the bed offers the advantage that the position of the apparatus is established unequivocally. Accordingly, the path of movement of the swivelling arm relative to the bed is defined as well. Moreover, the bed can then be displaced together with the apparatus, which offers logistic advantages. A further advantage is that for mounting the apparatus, no further measures have to be taken in the environment of the assembly. Moreover, by means of such a method of attachment, the advantage is reached that unintended displacement of the apparatus, other than together with the bed, is prevented.
Of course, the apparatus can also be arranged differently, for instance it cat be separate from the bed or, by contrast, constitute a fixed whole therewith.
In further elaboration, an assembly according to the invention is characterized by the features of claims 8 and 9.
By mounting the base part of the apparatus on both sides of the bed, the apparatus is suspended from the bed. The floor surface around and under the bed is thus left clear, which for instance simplifies the cleaning of the environment. Moreover, the apparatus thus creates a smaller impression. By mounting the motor onto the base part under the bed it is hidden from view, so that the apparatus acquires an attractive appearance, the more so because the parts projecting outside the bed can be of a smaller and more slender design. After all, these parts do not have to contain the motor.
It is preferred if the motor according to the invention be a linear motor, because the necessary powers can be produced thereby in a simpler manner without requiring the use of complicated, voluminous and costly transmission devices and energizations.
In a further advantageous embodiment, an assembly according to the invention is characterized by the features of claim 11.
Because the swivelling arm can be swung away, the accessibility of the bed is increased and, moreover, the mobility of the user is not impeded thereby by the swivelling arm, which is of importance in particular when the swivelling arm is in or adjacent its second position.
In addition, in a further embodiment an assembly according to the invention is characterized by the features of claim 12.
After at least a part of the apparatus with the swivelling arm has been removed from the bed, the bed can easily be approached, for instance for maintenance or for treatment of the person in the bed. Moreover, with such an embodiment, the portion with the swivelling arm should be installed only if this is necessary. This offers for instance the advantage that in a number of beds a base part can be provided, for which base parts only one part with the swivelling arm is necessary. Moreover, because the apparatus is at least partly removable, the appearance of the bed is improved. This is in particular agreeable to the user, because a stigma of invalidity can thus be removed, prevented or at least reduced.
The invention further relates to an apparatus for movement support for a person moving into or out of the bed, in particular suitable for use in an assembly according to any one of the above embodiments of the present invention.
The invention moreover relates to a method for helping a person into or out of a bed, which method according to the invention is characterized by the features of any of the above embodiments. Furthermore, the method of the present invention is characterized in that the apparatus is at least partly operated by an aid-giver.
Further embodiments of an assembly according to the invention are described in the other subclaims.
It will be understood that an apparatus according to the invention can also be suitable for the movement support of someone who wants to move into or out of a chair, and that an apparatus according to the invention can also be of a (semi-) mobile construction.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed descriptions given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the, detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.